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Mandarin · pinyin tà kōng

to miss one's step
(of an investor) to fail to invest before the price rises

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踏: tà · step on, trample, tread on, walk
空: kōng · empty, hollow, bare, deserted

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Mandarin tones

4–1 · ta4 kong1

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to miss one's step; to make a misstep
(Mainland China, finance) to fail to buy in stock when the price of a financial instrument rises (after selling off due to misjudging the market trend)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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